Lawang Gintung, Batu Tulis boast historical sites

Theresia Sufa, The Jakarta Post, Bogor | Tue, 11/25/2008 11:24 AM  

HIDE OUT: Lawang Gintung resident points to a bunker on land belonging to Exim Bank. The bunker, which is believed to be a remnant of the Dutch colonial era, is now almost buried under sweet potato plants. (JP/Theresia Sufa)

After a number of cultural heritage findings in Lawang Gintung and Batu Tulis subdistricts, cultural experts and locals say the areas need to be added to the government's conservation list. 

Jajang Suherman, a Lawang Gintung resident, told The Jakarta Post that there were three historical bunkers in the subdistrict. 

The people of Lawang Gintung have long known about these bunkers, which are located at the top of a hill, facing the Batu Tulis railway station and the Cisadane River. The distance between each bunker is 300 to 500 meters. 

"The bunkers are located on residential properties. Two bunkers are on H. Mulyatna's property. He is now building a restaurant on the land. The other one is on a sweet potato field owned by Exim Bank," Jajang said.

 

THE TEST OF TIME: A historical bunker is threatened by demolition as a land owner develops a restaurant nearby. (JP/Theresia Sufa)

Aside from the bunkers, a rock shaped like an axe was found at the restaurant construction site in August this year. 

In 2005, local residents found antique plates underneath bamboo and frangipani trees after a landslide hit the area. The plates are believed to date back to the colonial era. 

"When the landslide hit, the plates were actually still intact," said Sunarto, who discovered the plates. "But when we built the foundations to hold back the landslide, the rocks and mattocks we used collided with the plates, breaking them." 

The plate segments are now being stored at a house in the area. 

Another suspected cultural heritage site is a well located on a senior official's property in Lawang Gintung subdistrict. 

"We reported these findings to the Bogor administration a long time ago, but we have not received a response," Jajang said. 

"We are also waiting for the tourism department to make an effort to conserve the historical findings and make the Lawang Gintung and Batu Tulis subdistricts cultural heritage sites." 

Sundanese cultural observer Eman Sulaeman said the findings could be related to the nearby Batu Tulis Palace. 

He said the bunkers and plates were likely to be remnants of the Dutch colonial era, not the Padjajaran Kingdom of the 15th and 16th century. 

Sunarto said some of the plates had the inscription "P. Regeout, A.2. 1836" and some had ancient Javanese text engraved on them. 

The fact that the three bunkers are facing Batu Tulis railway station and the Cisadane River indicates the importance of the sites, Eman said. 

Besides the railway station, the wide Cisadane River used to be a very important water transportation lane and, therefore, needed to be preserved, Eman said.